Monument



May 19, 1959 c. NBERG'MANN i 2,886,963

n) Ihll/v'ENTOR. y 2 v Christian N. Bergmann BYMMNMM May 19,1959 C. N.BERGMA'NN l 2,886,963

MONUMENT Fiied April 1. 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

m c m. ma e B uw n May 19,V 1959 l. c. NBERGMANN l2,8862963 MONUMENTFiled April l. 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 gigi 9 v l A l Christian N.Bergmann r wwgmd, M

May 19 1959 I c. N. BERGMANN 1 2,886,963

' MONUMENT Filed April 1. 1954 l v 4 sheets-sheet 4 34" INVENToR.

Christian N. Bergmann MoNUMENr Christian N. Bergmann, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Applicationnpril 1,1954, serial No. 420,426

4 claims. (cm2-7.1)

This invention relates to a monument. More particularly, it pertains toa prefabricated monument for use, for example, in connection withcommemorations in the nature of burials, events of note and significantsites, which are to be preserved.

Heretofore, the preparation and installing of monuments of various kindshave been relatively laborious and expensive undertakings. In the caseof burial monuments, as an illustration, the phenomenon of groundsinking has often required the resetting of those monuments. In othercases where the ground has been sloping, satisfactory treatment to copewith terrain of that nature has not been readily available. Stillfurther, the problem of maintenance upkeep, and where attempted, theproblem of decoration, have involved other diiiiculties for which therehave not been wholly satisfactory solutions.

In this invention, the foregoing diiculties have been overcome. Thus, Iprovide a new monument which may readily be prefabricated, which isrelatively light in Weight and inexpensive, which is not subject toother problems and diiculties heretofore attendant upon theconstruction, installation and/ or maintenance of such monuments. Moreespecially, my new monument and its novel markers are not subject toearth movement in the manner of prior practices, and further, arereadily adaptable not only to level ground but also to ground whichslopes.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be nited StatesPatent apparent from the following description and from the drawings,which are illustrative only, in which Figure 1 is a view in longitudinalmedian section of one embodiment of a new monument of this inventionincluding a new head marker and a new bed marker on a relatively levelground site in supported combination with Figure 3 is a front View of ahead marker like that shown in the embodiment of Figures l and 2;

Figure 4 is a section view of the new head marker shown in Figure 3taken along line IV-IV of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a plan view of a new bed marker of this invention like thatincluded in the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 6 is a view in elevation of the new bed marker of Figure 5 takenalong line VI--VI of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a view in vertical median section, taken along line VII-VIIof Figure 7A, of a new head marker of this invention prepared for usewith a stone commemorative member;

Figure 7A is a plan view of the new structure shown in Figure 7;

Figure 8 is a view of a further embodiment of this invention, partly inlongitudinal median section, illustrating a new monument made of ceramicmaterial in use on relatively level ground;

Figure 9 is a view of an embodiment of this invention ice like thatshown in Figure 8 adjusted for use on sloping ground;

Figure 10 is a front view of the new head marker of the kind illustratedin the embodiment shown in Figures 8 and 9;

Figure 11 is a view in side elevation of the new head marker shown inFigure 10 taken along line XI--XI of Figure l0;

Figure 12 is a plan view of a new bed marker of this invention of thekind shown in the embodiments illustrated in Figures 8 and 9; and rFigure 13 is a view in side elevation of the new bed marker shown inFigure 12 taken along line XIII- XIII of Figure 12, and further, mountedon sloping ground by itself in the manner shown in Figure 9, to serve asa monument.

In the embodiment of my new monument 10 shown in Figure l, there is anovel head marker 11 and a novel bed marker 12 which may be placed injuxtaposition, as shown, to form the monument 10. A subsurface base 13,which may comprise a burial vault or a subsurface slab or block, forexample, is provided beneath monument 10. Base 13, in areas havingfrost, is preferably placed below the frost line. Thereby, the groundheaving which usually takes place in the spring of the year in suchareas, would not affect the installation position of the base 13.

Upwardly extending rigid supports 14 are provided between base 13 andhead marker 11. Further upwardly extending rigid supports 15 areprovided between base 13 and bed marker 12. In the embodiment shown,supports 14 and 15 have lower sections bolted to base 13 by bolts 16 andupper sections bolted to head marker 11 by bolts 17. In the case ofsupports 14, and in the case of supports 15, the upper sectionsthereofare bolted respectively to bed `marker 12 by bolts 18. The bolts17 and 18 by any of a variety of recognizable ways may have the outerends thereof in countersunk recesses in the respective markers 11 and12, or theymay be attached to internal brackets on the markers 11 and 12so that no portion of the bolts 17 and 18 appear on the outside of themonument 10. On the other hand, the outer ends of the bolts 17 and 18may be decorative in nature, such as being provided with rosette headsfor appearance, for

use in such a manner as to show on the exterior of monu-` ment 10 with apleasing appearance.

The upper and lower sections respectively of the supports 14 and of thesupports 1S are each drilled in the overlap areas thereof with avertical series of holes 19. Hence, after adjusting the extent ofoverlap between the adjoining section ends in each of the supports,bolts 20 may be employed to pass through the respectively registeringsets of holes 19 to ix the respective heights of head marker 11 and ofbed marker 12 relative to base 13, and, also relative to one another. Inthe case of a grave, the assembling and supporting of the new monument10 is readily performed while the grave is still open. Once performed,monument 10 is lixed in place and remains un` disturbed in propercommemorative position as originally installed irrespective of theheavings of the earth, the surface of which is relatively level in theillustration of Figure l as indicated by line 21.

Generally, a grave opening such as that illustrated in Figure 1 will befilled in after the burial, the closure of the cover on vault 13 and thealiixation of at least the supports 14 and 15. On the other hand, bedmarker 12 may be provided with an open center 21a through which suchfilling-in may take place if desired. The open center 21a then willpreferably be used for decoration by means of planting or otherdecorative treatment.

The new head marker 11 includes, in the illustrated embodiment ofFigures l and 2, a shell 22.. That shell may be stamped, for example, ona suitable press out of a material like steel which is clad with copperor bronze for weather resistance and appearance. The shell may comprisea plinth portion shown as skirt 23 in the lower portion of the marker 11and, simply as an illustration, a pillow-shaped memorial portion 24 inthe upper part of the marker 11. ln the stamping operation, an embossedplate surface 25 may be formed to constitute a commemorative member onwhich letters may -be affixed to designate the event for which themarker is employed. Or, commemorative member 25 may be engraved orstamped with such letters and numerals as required to form a permanentrecord. The advantages of such a new head marker are legion in terms ofrelatively low cost, enduring quality, lightness of weight, readylassembly and installation, and permanent positioning through the mediumof base 13 and supports 14.

Supports 14 have the upper ends of the upper sections fastened to theinside of the skirt portion 23 of marker 11 as described above. A recess26 extends across the front of the 'lower portion of the front reach ofskirt 23 to form an inter-fitting space for head end 27 of a new bedmarker 12. A neoprene lip 28 may be employed around the edge of recess26 to substantially seal off any space between head end 27 and the edgesof recess 26 when a bed marker 12 is placed in juxtaposition with headmarker 11 as shown in, for example, Figure l or Figure 2.

Registering holes 29 and 30 respectively in the head and bed markers maybe engaged by a pivot bolt 31, if desired, to dellectively connect a newhead marker 11 and a `new bed marker 12 in accordance with therespective installation adjustments of supports 14 and 1S. The sides ofthe lower portion of a head marker 11 may have wings attached thereto toextend forwardly in the form of shields 32 to overlap the sides of thehead end 27 of bed marker 12 and thereby present a finished appearancein a monument having both a head marker and a bed marker. The shields 32may 'be constructed so as to be operative with adjoining portions ofhead end 27, such adjoining portions to be laterally depressed ifdesired so that the entire length of each side of monument 10 will beiiush.

The embodiment shown in Figure 2 is like the embodiment shown in Figurel and therefore the portions thereof that are illustrated have beengiven the same reference numeral as the elements illustrated in Figurel. However, in the case of the employment of monument 10 on slopingground 33 as shown in Figure 2, supports 15, in Figure 2, arecorrespondingly adjusted so that the longitudinal axis of the bed marker12 may be deflected to conform to such slope 33, the axes of the bolts18 in bed marker 12 and of bolts 31 acting as pivot points in order torealize such appropriate deection.

The embodiment employed as illustrated in Figure 2 represents a markedadvance and enables hilly terrain to be readily used for burials or tohave events connected therewith properly commemorated without employmentof extraordinary devices heretofore deemed necessary because of suchsloping terrain. At the same time, the

open center 21a of the embodiment used in the position shown in Figure 2lends itself to the planting of flowers or ground cover materials whichyield an attractive appearance which is a vast improvement over theunkempt look of so many present day memorial areas. In thelast-mentioned connection, further, the new monument shown in Figures land 2, for example, makes the trimming of grass growing around them asimple matter since the outside of the monument at the level of theground surface acts in the nature of a continuous guide for grass edgecutting whenever such may become necessary.

The new bed marker 12 illustrated in Figures l and 2 is furtherillustrated in Figures 5 and 6. It comprises a Imember which is readilystamped out of the same material as the material in head marker 11. Insection, the bed marker has an inverted J-shape or L-shape, generafllyspeaking, the longer leg lbeing an outer plinth portion wall 34 and theshorter leg being an inner Wall 35 joined by a top integral connectingportion 36. Thus in position, the ground comes up at least to the bottomedge of inner wall 3S, which inner wall forms the open center 21adescribed above.

In the embodiment of bed marker 12 that is shown, the head end 27 is cutaway at 37 between the sides to facilitate prefabrication as by means ofa stampi-ng operation. If the outer wall 34 at the head end 27 of bedmarker 12 is brought down to the lower edge of the remainder of outerwall 34 thereof, then such outer wall 34 at the head end would be avertical wall rather than being cut back as shown at 37 to facilitatedeflection of a nature 'like that illustrated, for example, in Figure 2.The placement of the nearer supports 14 to head end 27 of ybed marker12, is not critical in the event that bed marker 12 extends into recess26 to a greater extent than is illustrated in Figures l and 2. Thehorizontal edge of recess 26 preferably extends across top 36 at headend 27 so that all of the open center 21a is exposed when a monument 1Gis provided.

The embodiment illustrated in Figures 7 and 7A is composite in natureand illustrates a new head marker in which parts corresponding generallyin character and functioning to those of head marker 11 are given thesame reference numerals with the addition of a prime factor thereto.Thus, a lower portion constituting shell 22 may be formed so as to berectangular in plan, a longitudinal median section being shown in Figure7. The shell 22 is rigidly supported by attachment to the upper sectionsof adjustable supports 14. However, shell 22' is provided with an outerskirt 23 and an inner wall 38 leaving an open center 39. The inner wallis stepped hack at 40 to provide an annular shelf to support a stone 41,for example, Which may be of granite. A hard-setting caulking material42 may lbe interposed between wall 38, lledge 40 and headstone 41.Thereby, a feature of this invention with rigid support of shell 22 froma subsurface base (not illustrated) is utilizable with a conventionalcommemorative member 41 and irrespective of any heaving or settling ofthe earth, the member 41 permanently remains in its originally installedposition.

The embodiment illustrated in Figure 8 in general character andfunctioning is like the embodiment shown in Figure 1 and the samereference numerals have been applied to such corresponding elements withthe addition of a double prime factor thereto. ln the embodiment ofFigure 8, a head -marker 11" and bed marker 12 are made for example, ofa cast ceramic material like porcelain used for bathroom fixtures eitheras a solid shaped material or in the nature of a vitreous enamelmaterial applied to a skeletal form. As shown, the elements of the newmonument 10 in Figure 8, and in Figure 9 for that matter, are made ofsolid cast ceramic, the outer exposed surface of which may be glazed ifdesired and colored to whatever pigmentation is deemed suitable. Plate25" may be a bronze commemorative member affixed to the upper portion ofhead marker 11" by suitable bolts 43 having decorative outer ends.Monument 10 as used in the position shown in Figure 8 with relativelylevel ground 21" is provided with rigid supports 14" and 15" which maysimply be lengths of pipe screwed into iianges 44 which in turn arefastened to base 13". The upper ends of the supports 14" and 15 whichare cut to suitable length, tit into sockets 44 in head marker 11 andinto sockets 45 in bed marker 12, such sockets being prefabricated atthe time of the casting of the respective new markers 11 and 12". Thesockets may be filled with a caulking material to set hard afterinsertion of the supports to bond them to the markers. The material ofthe new markers 11" and 12 is heavy enough to endure accidental blowsand whatever usage to which they are subjected without damage or loss oftheir attractive character. In the placement of head end 27 into recess26, caulking 46 may be employed at the front of skirt 23" between thelower edge thereof and the top 36" of bed marker 12". On the other hand,such caulking is not necessary particularly when the parts are made tointeriit with relatively narrow spacings between them.

In the construction of Figure 9, a monument like that shown in Figure 8is employed. However, inasmuch as the ground line 33 is sloping,supports 14a and 15a are employed. Such supports are made withadjustable telescoping pipe members with registering holes 47 and 48respectively in the overlapping sections thereof in each of the sets ofsupports 14"a and 15a. The sockets 45 are so made that they diverge in adownwardly extending direction whereby, as shown in Figure 9, bed marker12 may assume the slope of ground 33" in accordance with the setting ofthe respective supports 15a at the head end 27" and at the toot end 48of bed member 12" as shown in Figure 9. The outer wall 34" at the headend 27 is substantially arcuate for ease of deiiection adjustment toconform to a slope 33". The advantages inuring to open center 21a and tothe general construction and functioning of the new monument 10 arecomparable to those described above in connection with monument 10.

With some soils and in some climes, earth surface movement isnegligible. In such situations the new monument of this inventionincluding a new head marker and a new bed marker may be provided withoutany supports being necessary on the selected site. Features of myinvention would still be present and utilized, for example, in theapplication of my new monument without such supports to sloping groundand in the presence in the new bed marker of the open center for use asa filling opening, or for decorative utilization, or both. Still furtherin all such new head markers, the commemorative plaque may be removablyattached over an opening through the new head marker, which opening mayalso be utilized as a lling opening if desired in connection, forexample, with a grave iilling operation. As will also be evident, my newmonument may be constructed as a single integral monument having both anew head marker and a new bed marker therein.

Although the new markers of this invention have been described as beingreadily made out of metal or ceramic materials, with the present-daygrowth of high strength plastic materials, the new monument of myinvention and the markers thereof may also be made of such plastics ot'suitable strength characteristics. Further, although described inconnection with a burial monument, this invention is applicable to ahost of commemorative monuments or markers for memorial or otherpurposes. Various features in the embodiments shown may be changedwithout departure from the spirit of my invention or the scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A monument, compri-sing, in combination, a subterranean base, a headmarker in separated relation to said base, rigid members extendingbetween said base and said head marker to iix the position of said headmarker, a bed marker adjacent said head marker and in separated relationto said base, said bed marker being placed in aligned juxtaposition tosaid head marker, subsurface rigid members extending between said baseand said bed marker to tix the position of said bed marker, said markersinteriitting to provide a continuous uninterrupted monument surface, atleast said last-mentioned rigid members being adjustable n height,whereby said bed marker may be deflected to conform. to a slope on whichsaid monument may be placed.

2. A monument, comprising, in combination, an area base below any annualseason earth movement line, a head marker, a commemorative membersupported by said head marker, adjustable rigid supports extendingbetween said base and `said head marker, said head marker having arecess, a bed marker having an end extending into said recess inrelatively close fitting relation thereto, a pivotal connection betweensaid head marker and bed marker to enable said bed marker to be.`adjusted to a deflected position relative to said head marker while saidend substantially remains in said recess a suicient distance to providea continuous monument without interruption between said markers, andadjustable rigid supports extending between said base and said bedmarker.

3. A monument, comprising, in combination, a level subsurface area basesuch as the top of a burial vault or the like, upwardly extending rigidsupports fastened to said base, a Ihead marker supported by said rigidsupports in spaced higher relation to said base, said head marker havinga skirt extending downwardly at least to the surface of the ground uponwhich said monument is located and a commemorative member above saidground and a recess, a bed marker having a head end fitting `generallyhorizontally into said recess in fixed but deectable relation to saidhead marker, said markers being interfitted and interconnected toprovide a continuous, uninterrupted monument, further upwardly extendingrigid supports fastened to said base, said further rigid supportssupporting said bed marker in fixed position relative to said headmarker and in spaced higher relation to said base, said bed markerhaving an outer wall extending downwardly atleast to the surface of saidground, said bed marker further having an inner wall defining an opencenter for decorative planting, and means for adjusting the height ofsaid respective supports, whereby said monument is adapted to have saidbed marker adjusted to conform to such slope as said ground may have.

4. A burial monument or the like, comprising, in combination, a headmarker member having a plinth portion for engagement with the ground andan upper memorial portion, an elongated body member having a plinthportion for engagement with the ground, said members being generallygrave-shaped in plan, one of said :members being recessed and the otherof said members projecting into said recess for longitudinal angularadjustment between said members in accordance with the ground surface,and means for interconnecting said members to provide a substantiallycontinuous, uninterruptedymonument surface above the level of the groundon which such burial monument is to be placed.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 510,696Mease Dec. 12, 1893 1,112,018 McGillivray Sept. 29, 1914 1,860,915Whitman May 31, 1932 2,046,594 Walton July 7, 1936 2,383,787 GuentherAug. 28, 1945 2,504,800 Campagna Apr. 18, 1950 2,611,570 Kroll Sept. 23,1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 5,350 Great Britain of 1892 539,168 France June 22,1922

